 Putin wants to use record election victory to prolong war in Ukraine. The experts from the Institute for the Study of War believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to use his record victory in the presidential elections as a precondition for a protracted war in Ukraine. The Institute for the Study of War ISW said this. Analysts say that Putin is trying to use the claimed record voter turnout and support for his candidacy to create information preconditions for a protracted war in Ukraine. Putin and senior Russian officials claimed that the record voter turnout and high public support for Putin demonstrated Russia's unity and trust in Putin. The Russian Central Election Commission announced on the 18th of March that Putin had won the presidential election with 87.28% of the vote. Ella Pamilova, the head of the Russian Central Election Commission, said that the voter turnout in the elections in Russia was 77.44% which was a record number. The Russian Central Election Commission had announced that voter turnout in the 2018 presidential election in Russia was 67.47% with Putin winning with 76.67% of the vote. In addition, the Commission said that Putin received between 88.12% and 95.23% of the vote in occupied Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizia and Kursan oblasts and Crimea. The review indicates that Russian occupation officials may have falsified the record high support for Putin in occupied Ukraine and may have forced Ukrainian citizens to participate in the elections which were inherently coercive given the large number of Russian troops operating in occupied Ukraine. Experts also add that Putin is likely to continue his efforts to create information conditions to justify the continued occupation of Ukraine's territories under the guise of protecting civilians who are in danger only because of the Russian invasion. Thank you for watching.